Conventionally, a handheld type microphone device (hereinafter, the microphone device is simply referred to also as a microphone) has been used for various applications. The conventional common microphone has a slide switch operated for power-on and power-off. The slide switch is provided on a cylindrical surface of a microphone body, and it is slid between a conductive position and a nonconductive position.
In places of education, for example, students may sometimes speak in turns using a microphone. In such a case, power-on and power-off of the microphone are repeated in a short time. However, a microphone with a structure including a conventional slide switch has been inconvenient since independent operation is required for power-on and power-off of the microphone.
In addition, when a microphone is handed over while the microphone is powered on, touch noise is picked up by the microphone and is output from a speaker. In addition, when the microphone is dropped at the time of being handed over, an impact sound is input into the microphone and is output from the speaker.
Patent Literature 1 has proposed a microphone capable of dealing with the above-described problem. A rotary member is provided in a microphone case in Patent Literature 1. The rotary member has a projecting part projecting from a window of the microphone case. A movable piece is provided outside the projecting part. In addition, one end of a pressing piece is provided inside the projecting part, and it is coupled with the movable piece with the projecting part interposed therebetween. An other end of the pressing piece is engaged with a switch lever. The switch lever comes into contact with a pin plunger of a power switch.
In the above-described configuration, the movable piece is slid between an upper position and a lower position. When the movable piece is slid to the upper position, the pressing piece presses the switch lever, and thereby the microphone becomes in a conductive state. When the movable piece is in the lower position, the rotary member rotates, the pressing piece presses the switch lever, and the microphone becomes in the conductive state only while the movable piece is pressed.
According to the above-described conventional technique, when using the microphone for a long time, the conductive state is maintained by sliding the movable piece. In addition, when using the microphone for a short time, the microphone is in the conductive state only while the movable piece is pushed down. Hence, the microphone can be easily operated when using it for a short time.
However, both slide operation and push-down operation are performed to one movable piece in the conventional microphone device. Therefore, a user may unintentionally slide the movable piece while the user holds the movable piece down. For example, when an operator obliquely upwardly pushes the movable piece, the movable piece slides easily while the movable piece is held down. Additionally, when such incorrect operation is performed, the movable piece slides in the conductive state, a rubbing sound of the movable piece with the microphone case is picked up by the microphone as noise, and is output from the speaker. In addition, there is a possibility that the above-described incorrect operation is performed unconsciously. In that case, the microphone is handed over without noticing its conductive state, and touch noise is output. In addition, when the microphone is placed on a desk etc., larger noise is output.
In addition, although it is conceivable to provide a plurality of switches in order to prevent the above-described incorrect operation, a configuration of the microphone becomes complicated.
Here, a background of the present invention has been described by taking up a slide knob and a push button. However, a similar problem may occur in cases other than a combination of these operating members.